Packages transfer alongside a conveyor belt at an Amazon Fulfillment middle on Cyber Monday in Robbinsville, New Jersey, on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022.
Stephanie Keith | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Amazon stated Wednesday it plans to close down its charity donation program, within the newest instance of the corporate’s broader cost-cutting efforts.
Through this system, known as AmazonSmile, the e-retailer donates a share of eligible purchases on the location to the consumers’ chosen charity group. Amazon stated it has donated greater than $377 million globally to charities for the reason that program launched in 2013.
Amazon now plans to wind down AmazonSmile by Feb. 20, the corporate stated in a discover to clients posted to its web site.
“After almost a decade, the program has not grown to create the impact that we had originally hoped,” the corporate stated. “With so many eligible organizations — more than 1 million globally — our ability to have an impact was often spread too thin.”
Amazon will proceed to spend money on areas the place it may possibly “make meaningful change,” reminiscent of aiding with pure catastrophe aid, inexpensive housing initiatives and neighborhood help packages, the corporate stated.
The transfer to shutter AmazonSmile comes as CEO Andy Jassy has embarked on a sweeping evaluation of the corporate’s bills amid a worsening financial outlook and slowing progress in its retail division.
Amazon has commenced the biggest layoffs in its historical past and instituted a hiring freeze throughout its company workforce. As Jassy has labored to rein in prices, the corporate paused warehouse enlargement and shuttered some experimental tasks like its telehealth service and a unusual, video-calling system for teenagers.
— CNBC’s Lora Kolodny contributed reporting to this text.
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